The Masamune-Bergman cyclization or Masamune-Bergman reaction or Masamune-Bergman cycloaromatization is an organic reaction and more specifically a rearrangement reaction taking place when an enediyne is heated in presence of a suitable hydrogen donor (Scheme 1).^[1][2] It is the most famous and well-studied member of the general class of cycloaromatization reactions.^[3] It is named for Japanese-American chemist Satoru Masamune (b. 1928) and American chemist Robert G. Bergman (b. 1942). The reaction product is a derivative of benzene.

The reaction proceeds by a thermal reaction or pyrolysis (above 200 °C) forming a short-lived and very reactive para-benzyne biradical species. It will react with any hydrogen donor such as 1,4-cyclohexadiene which converts to benzene. When quenched by tetrachloromethane the reaction product is a 1,4-dichlorobenzene and with methanol the reaction product is benzyl alcohol.

When the enyne moiety is incorporated into a 10-membered hydrocarbon ring (e.g. cyclodeca-3-ene-1,5-diyne in scheme 2) the reaction, taking advantage of increased ring strain in the reactant, is possible at the much lower temperature of 37 °C.

Naturally occurring compounds such as calicheamicin contain the same 10-membered ring and are found to be cytotoxic. These compounds generate the diradical intermediate described above which can cause single and double stranded DNA cuts.^[4] There are novel drugs which attempt to make use of this property, including monoclonal antibodies such as mylotarg.^[5]

A biradical mechanism is also proposed for the formation of certain biomolecules found in marine sporolides that have a chlorobenzene unit as part of their structure. In this mechanism a halide salt provides the halogen. A model reaction with the enediyene cyclodeca-1,5-diyn-3-ene, lithium bromide as halogen source and acetic acid as hydrogen source in DMSO at 37 °C supports the theory:^[6][7]

The reaction is found to be first-order in enediyne with the formation of p-benzyne A as the rate-limiting step. The halide ion then donates its two electrons in the formation of a new Br-C bond and radical electron involved is believed to shuttle over a transient C1-C4 bond forming the anion intermediate B. The anion is a powerful base, stripping protons even from DMSO to final product. The dibromide or dihydrogen product (tetralin) never form.

In 2015 IBM scientists demonstrated that a reversible Masamune-Bergman cyclisation of diyne can be induced by a tip of an atomic force microscope (AFM). They also recorded images of individual diyne molecules during this process.^[8] When learning about this direct experimental demonstration Bergman commented, "When we first reported this reaction I had no idea that it would be biologically relevant, or that the reaction could someday be visualized at the molecular level.^[9]